Figure 3

T-oligo induces apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. MCF-7 and normal mammary epithelial (NME) cells were treated as above. Apoptosis was determined by TUNEL analysis and by the level of cytoplasmic DNA-histone complexes 96 hours after a single treatment at time 0. (a) MCF-7 cells underwent apoptosis as observed by the prominent shift in fluorescent peak. (b) In contrast, there was only a minimal shift in the fluorescent peak of NME cells. (c) There is a significant increase in the levels of cytoplasmic DNA-histone complexes in T-oligo-treated MCF-7 cells compared to diluent-treated MCF-7 cells (p < 0.02, n = 3). In contrast, DNA-histone complexes in NME cells were not significantly increased above the background (Bkgd) level (p = 0.89).